Convert 7z Files on Mac
7z is an archive format using the .7z extension. Consul converts 7z files to 3 other formats, and 4 formats to 7z. Rename a file's extension in Finder and Consul handles the conversion automatically.
What is 7z?
7z is the native archive format of the open-source 7-Zip utility, created by Igor Pavlov in 1999. It reaches very high compression ratios using the LZMA and LZMA2 algorithms, supports strong AES-256 encryption, and can bundle many files and folders into one archive. It's popular on Windows for distributing large downloads, but macOS has no built-in tool that can open it.
7z uses lossless compression, so files shrink without losing any information and decode back to the original data exactly.
7z was developed by Igor Pavlov and is an open standard.
Opening 7z files on a Mac
macOS has no built-in way to open 7z files. Consul converts them to a format your Mac can open.
Archive Utility can't expand 7z archives, and macOS ships no built-in 7-Zip tool, so opening one needs a third-party utility such as The Unarchiver.